Telluride Trails: Hiking Passes, Loops, and Summits of Southwest Colorado

CHAPTER 1

FAR NORTHWEST TELLURIDE

Map

4WD

1 Alder Creek Trail 510

2 North Pole Peak

4WD

3 Hayden Peak

4WD

4 Unnamed Point 12,700

4WD

5 Box Factory Park West Ridge Loop

6 Deep Creek Upper Canyon

7 S-5

8 S-6

9 Deep Creek Upper Basin

10 S-7

4WD

11 Ruffner Mountain

12 S-8

13 S-9

14 S-10

HIKES 1-5, 9-14, 17

1 Alder Creek Trail 510

TRAILHEAD

There is ample parking on top of Last Dollar Road FS 638 or NE at the nearby TH following the signs.

• Opt 1: Drive 40 minutes and 13 miles max to the TH, including 10 minutes W down valley from Telluride on CO-145. Turn right (N) onto Deep Creek Road across from the maintenance igloo at the 75-mile marker. Go up the dirt road 2½ miles to the end and turn left (SW) onto Last Dollar Road FS 638 for almost 6 miles. Last Dollar Road FS 638 is narrow and steep, with scree at times; 2WD high-clearance vehicle needed for much of the distance, into 4WD perhaps the last mile of the road. There may also be puddles of surprisingly deep standing water.

• Opt 2: From Telluride, access the Airport Road/Last Dollar Road FS 638, which is less than ¼ mile E of Society Turn and 3 miles W of town on CO-145 Spur to the right (N). Go right again in 2 miles to stay on Last Dollar Road FS 638 for 8 miles more to the top (T-60 sign) of the dirt road. Drive down N to a big curve going left (W) over a bridge, then past the intersection with Deep Creek Road on the left (S). Continue NW along a steeper section of road and possibly into 4WD to the top (10,663 feet).

Both Opts take you to the top of Last Dollar Road FS 638 in about the same amount of time from Telluride. People coming from down valley should take Opt 1 (Deep Creek Road); those coming from Montrose, Ridgway, or Ouray could take Last Dollar Road FS 638 from its other end. This Opt 3 is less than a mile W of Dallas Divide off of CO-62, 12 miles from Ridgway. It’s another beautiful part of the road, not to be missed! And also could be rough for 4WD depending on the weather. Follow the signage less than 10 miles S to the top at the Alder Creek TH.

NOTES

A great trail for solitude. Drive to the top of the rough, steep Last Dollar Road and hike where few people do. The easy-sloping path drops only a few hundred feet and eventually turns into the Dallas Trail past the creek where you turn around W of North Pole Peak. Unless you are going to the high peaks or continuing down the Dallas Trail, this is most likely a one-way trip. Dallas Trail is a horse trail that shares part of the Blaine Basin Trail and goes several more miles to FS Road 851 near Ouray. Come back SSW the same way whenever you wish on the Alder Creek Trail or at the 4½-mile mark near the creek.

Top of Last Dollar Road to Han Shan.

Fallen trees might cover part of the Alder Creek Trail along the way, and no bikes are allowed. This trail provides access to several wonderful summits known locally as Box Factory Park. Most of them can be climbed from Deep Creek Upper Basin as well.

ROUTE

From the TH in the woods near Last Dollar Road, descend gradually on the wide, effortless trail for ½ mile, encountering five switchbacks along the way. Walk NE along a straightaway and traverse well below the mountaintops on your right (E). It’s less than an hour (2 miles) from the TH to the Sneffels Wilderness sign; after passing through pines, a few aspens, and lots of low flora and arnica flowers, you end up in a semi-clearing. You’ll need to contend with a few downed evergreens and two to four stream crossings, depending on the runoff. At least two water crossings are close together and very near to what’s left of an old cabin. Go to the right (NE) before the gravity-stricken cabin and 100 feet across the little clearing, as you stay just to the left (N) of the skunk cabbage on the faded trail near the creek.

Walk another 50 feet and go through the trees left (N) 100 feet or so and down the path to cross a 20-foot-wide rock-filled drainage gully that comes from the right (E) and above you. About ½ mile from this gully, cross a year-round creek (preceded by at least two more creeks in big runoff years) in a sizable drainage gully. The gully has a huge sheer cliff band above it (E) and rocks that line the creek above and below the trail. Hike over the rocky gully on the solid trail and continue immediately up the trail to an evergreen-covered shoulder due W of Hayden Peak and SW of North Pole Peak. (This shoulder is the TH for many of the hikes that follow this one.) Continue a mile down the main trail in the woods to another pretty creek directly W of North Pole Peak. This is the unofficial turnaround W of North Pole Peak. Return the same way back up the traverse and switchbacks to finish on top of Last Dollar Road.

TRAIL NOTES

2 North Pole Peak

TRAILHEAD

Top of Last Dollar Road; see hike 1 for directions.

ROUTE

Follow Alder Creek Trail 510 about 3½ miles from the TH to the evergreen-covered, wide shoulder coming down from the right, W of and well below Hayden Peak. Welcome, finally, to the super-steep western slopes of North Pole Peak, Hayden Peak, and friends! Bushwhack to the right (E) off Alder Creek Trail 510 ¼ mile up the wide shoulder in the trees with no established trail to a good-sized clearing and small cliff band. Stay left (N) of the steep meadow, and go left of the rock band to traverse (NE) into the trees 50 feet or so. Walk across a mostly dry, narrow, rocky gully into a clearing. Turn right (E) to scramble straight up the clearing just left (N) of the gully. There may be few cairns, if any, up the super-steep, slick, rocky slope to the crux. The going is very steep and loose for a couple hundred yards to the base of the rather large cliff band and steep couloirs above. See that one couloir is up to the right (S), while one gully is directly in front of you (E), and two smaller couloirs are to the left (N) in the cliff band. Work your way up the slope, and move to the left (N) once you are at the base of the cliff band. Traverse more easily 300 feet to the farthest gully for the best up, although the closer, thinner gullies can be climbed as well with more difficulty. Climb NE up the grassy right-hand side of the highest gully to tree line and immediately to the big, WSW-facing shoulder, which is to the right (S) of the long, widening gully coming down from the high ridge.

Hike NE a couple hundred feet up the shoulder over semi-stable scree to where the grass ends. Climb far to the right (S) of the large outcrop extending W from the ridge above (N of) the shoulder and wide gully, and go directly and very steeply to the ridge. It’s about 1½ hours and only a mile from where you left the Alder Creek Trail to this high ridge at 12,360 feet. Get your bearings to remember where you reached the high ridge for the descent, and walk left (N) down the ridge ½ mile to the huge boulders that comprise the summit block of North Pole Peak.

Meadow near the start of the west slopes route to Box Factory Park.

Walk directly up to the steep wall of rock and dual summit blocks from the main ridge, and look slightly to the left (W). The rock is greenish with a center stripe of orange going to the NE straight up a long crack. From the base, look to the right for a thin ramp you must ascend 10–12 feet to a small, flat spot large enough for one person at a time. Climb from the flat spot to another flat spot about 10 feet nearly straight up the ledges. (No climbing gear or ropes are necessary.) Then work your way to the right (E) about 10 feet more on a very narrow ledge, just a foot wide. Hang on to what you can and check your holds. It looks a little tougher from afar, but the rock is actually pretty stable on both summit blocks. Just don’t slip off!

Climb to the left (W) from the thin ledge where possible as the footing gets better to the top of the low summit block and down to the saddle between the two boulders. Then pick a way up the very steep-sloping but walkable rock 50 feet to the peak. Go down the same way you came up.

3 Hayden Peak

TRAILHEAD

Top of Last Dollar Road; see hike 1 for directions.

NOTES

This is one of many gorgeous summits around 13,000 feet along the ridges known as Box Factory Park, which technically stretches all the way down to West Dallas Fork Creek. The park also includes North Pole Peak, S-7, S-8, S-9, S-10, Ruffner Mountain, and the other ridge and unnamed points called Box Factory Park West Ridge Loop. The Sneffels Range can be seen as well from most of the park, and the Wilsons in the San Juans are a few miles to the S. Box Factory Park can be seen from Dallas Divide while driving, but the best views of course are from the high ridge.

Box Factory Park and the Mount Sneffels Wilderness.

ROUTE

Follow the Alder Creek Trail 510 about 3½ miles from the TH to the evergreen-covered, wide shoulder coming down from the right, W of and well below Hayden Peak. Follow directions for hike 2 to the high ridge (4½ miles from TH) and walk to the right (SE) for Hayden Peak. Go directly over a little bump in the center of the ridge. Continue up without trouble, although some careful route-finding is in order near the summit block. Stay on the narrow trail near the center of the steep upper ridge to the top, as the scree is semi-stable.

• Bonus: S-10 is ½ mile away from Hayden Peak to the SE.

TRAIL NOTES

4 Unnamed Point 12,700

TRAILHEAD

Top of Last Dollar Road; see hike 1 for directions.

NOTES

Also known as Box Factory Park View (BFPV). Expect a very steep crux climb to the high W ridge near the top. From the summit the scene is phenomenal as you view all the peaks in Box Factory Park and the large Deep Creek Upper Basin to the E.

The difficult west ridge and route of Unnamed Point 12,700 (BFPV, top left).

ROUTE

Follow the route described in hike 1 to the point of the old cabin on the creek. Go right of the dilapidated cabin (NE), staying left (N) of the creek, through the woods within ¼ mile, to a 20-foot-wide rocky drainage gully that barely crosses the trail in a clearing. This is about 1½ hours (3 miles) from the TH and is the unofficial TH for this hike.

Leave Alder Creek Trail 510, and bushwhack to the right (ESE) up the rocky gully for 75 feet before going to the left (NE) 30 feet, then E for 75 feet up a small rise next to the gully. Follow narrow trails to a larger shoulder to the left (NE). Continue E a few hundred feet up the super-steep scree directly to the base of the major crux of the climb. Hike directly under and just to the left (N) of the huge, sheer rock obstacle low on the W ridge of BFPV. It will be very steep and loose to the base of the cliff line. Ascend the rocks and scree, going to the left (N) between the outcrop for a couple hundred yards—watch your footing. Climb to the right (S) through a weakness in the cliff line when possible, and hug the right (S) side of a pretty tight, loose chute. Continue S very steeply 100 feet and 60 feet more up to the right (SW) to gain a solid chunk of the high W ridge of BFPV. Look back down the gully for the return route, and head left (E) ¼ mile up the ultra-thin ridge with steep drop-offs to the summit and high point SW of Hayden Peak.

It would be best to attempt going down this steep W ridge only after first scrambling up it, so as to have a better understanding of the descent. For this reason, climb BFPV first and come down the same route, or continue a Loop 10 miles long with either Hayden Peak (hike 3) or Han Shan (hike 17). See hike 5 for details.

TRAIL NOTES

5 Box Factory Park West Ridge Loop

TRAILHEAD

Top of Last Dollar Road; see hike 1 for directions.

NOTES

Remember that there is no shelter from an incoming storm anywhere on the high ridge itself—don’t get caught. Storms build up quickly in the Rockies and can be deadly at high altitudes. Your GPS and phone won’t keep you safe and dry!

ROUTE

See hikes 1–3 for the description. After summiting Hayden Peak, the ridge splits into two; one route goes left (SE) to S-10, and the other route goes right (SW) for Box Factory Park West Ridge Loop. Descend an easier ridge section ½ mile to the little point at 12,700 feet (Box Factory Park View or BFPV). Farthest down to the SW you can see the final peak, the jagged Han Shan (pronounced Hawn-Shawn). From BFPV and the two other high points down the ridge, you can see all of the mountains in Box Factory Park and then some!

Continue mindfully down the ridge more than a mile to the next summit S from BFPV as the route quickly narrows to about as wide as your foot. The mountain sheers away from you on both sides, and you have some cool, shortlived exposure—pleasant, straightforward ridge walking over fairly solid terrain. Stay in the center of the ridge almost the entire way to the SW and toward Han Shan as a big hint. There is a 15-foot gully that’s easy to down-climb slightly E on the ridgeline, and some interesting but not difficult hiking to a low saddle, and then up to Unnamed Point 12,238. Go SW down to the last saddle much more easily and climb steeply up to Han Shan, just N of the lower Whipple Mountain. It’s only 20 minutes (½ mile) to the top from the saddle on the N side and not too tough as you go carefully up the thinning ridge, doing some minimal bouldering. From the peak, come back N to the saddle for the best descent.

Thrilling hike along Box Factory Park West Ridge Loop.

To omit Han Shan, take the bushwhack path that goes to the right (W) from the saddle, then contour down the wide, grassy, semi-rocky slope 1½ miles to Last Dollar Road and the TH. It’s a steeper bushwhack the first couple hundred feet W down wide ledges to the open ridge, which soon breaks up ½ mile from the high saddle. Leave the main ridge in the flats and bushwhack steeply to the right (NE) ¼ mile and down 10 minutes or so with a steeper pitch. Go left (W) on the first well-defined trail as the pitch becomes more gradual and wider on the highest part of the nice shoulder, ending more steeply to the Alder Creek TH and saddle.

TRAIL NOTES

6 Deep Creek Upper Canyon

TRAILHEAD

Drive 3 miles W of Telluride on CO-145 Spur (¼ mile E of Society Turn and CO-145 S to Lizard Head Pass/Durango), turn right (N) 2 miles up the paved Airport Road/Last Dollar Road FS 638, then right again (N) onto Last Dollar Road FS 638 (T-60 sign). Go 1 mile down the dirt road to the Deep Creek–Whipple Mountain TH. Park in the lot on the right (E).

ROUTE

Walk or bike from the parking area up a few turns in the open meadow (½ mile), then into the trees to the NE. Follow an irrigation ditch in the flats for a mile, and go left (W) at the intersection with Deep Creek Trail 418 to Whipple Mountain Trail 419 (still flat). If you biked here, park and lock your bike at the signs just before the trail narrows and continues downward. (Walking to this point, 2 miles, takes 30–40 minutes each way. Biking takes about 15 minutes up and 5 minutes down.) The trail quickly turns more to the right (NE), and you descend a straightaway ½ mile to cross the East Fork of Deep Creek